Author: Eshwar Sundaresan
Publisher: East West Books
Year: 2006
Language: English
Pages: 331
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8188661449
Description
Over twelve thousand foreigners (that is, more than half the expatriate population in the country) now live in Bangalore. They hail from diverse backgrounds, practise various professions, and in this global city, which still retains traces of its small-town ethos, they are discovering previously unimaginable possibilities.
So what exactly do they seek in Bangalore and do they find it there? On what levels do they interact with the local people? And, how significant is their impact on the cultural, financial, social, political and educational spheres they touch? Fusing the resonance of history with the experiences of a riveting cast of expatriates, Bangalored provides the answers to questions such as these.
Most of the expatriates featured in the book are resourceful, some are quirky and eccentric, and a few are stubbornly idealistic, but they are all memorable. More so because they shrug off the usual stereotypes to reveal their thoughts, fellings and insights with rare candour. What emerges is a whole new perspective on urban India and its ambiguities. Writing with sensitivity and wry humour, Eshwar Sundaresan recreates these distinctive voices in a vibrant and multi-textured collage.
REVIEWS
Eshwar has an uncanny talent to get people to share their views and emotions about being part of Bangalore. Straight from the mouth and straight from the heart. The good, the bad and the ugly. Candid and with great humour.
-Bob Hoekstra, CEO, Philips Software India & author of An Exemplary Family in Babgalore and Other Stories
A delightful blend of humour and irony.
-Maya Jayapal, author of Bangalore-The Story of a City
ESHWAR SUNDARESHAN is a Bangalore-based writer. He can be reached at eshwars@vsnl.net
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INTRODUCTION
Tic-Tac-Toe
Bangalore Safari
Continental Drifting
The Hungry Master
Contrasting Encounters
Winning Hearts
Conscientious People
Minding Their Languages
Statistics
Campus Round-up
Germane Matters
A Hilltop View
Hope Lives
Latino, Latino
A Flemish Tale
The Palestinian Emperor
Que Sera Sera
Good as Gay
Queens of Clubs
Product of the Times
No to School
Unpatentable
Carry on Jones
The Other Side
The Flag-bearers
Expatriates in Bangalore-a Brief History
The Early Years
Under Hyder and Tipu
The Wodeyar Years
After the British Takeover
Turn of the Century
Of War and Independence
Post-Independence
AFTERWORD
BIBLIOGRAPHY